Electric heat-accumulator.



water.

y JUNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

ADOLPH RITTERSHAUSSEN, 0F CASSEL, GERMANY.

ELECTRIC HEAT-ACCUMULATOR.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it lnown that I, ADOLPH Rrrfrnnsrraus SEN, a citizen of the Empire ofGermany, residing at Cassel, in the Empire of Ger many, have invented anew and useful Electric Heat-Accumulator, of which the following is aspecification.

In numerous plants the power at disposal can be fully utilized onlyperiodically, as is for example the case with nearly every electriccentral station driven by means of water turbines, so that in the pausespower is wasted by the water flowing olf without having been made profitof, since electric ac cumulators can be utilized only wit-hin verynarrow limits for storing up energy, in case direct current is produced,while for alternating current no accumulators are known, which could beutilized.

My invention relates to an electric heat accumulator adapted to store upin the pauses heat., into which the energy obtained from or produced bythe power at disposal has been turned. In this electric heat accumulatorwater is best used as a medium for storing up heat, since the waterabsorbs a large quantity of heat before commencing to boil, as is wellknown.

The new accumulator essentially consists of a closed preferablycylindrical vessel filled with water, a protecting mantle of a bad heatconduct-ing material surrounding the vessel, an electric heater disposedwithin the vessel for heating the water in the upper part of the vessel,and means for admitting cold water to the vessel below and for leadingofll hot water from the vessel above. Preferably a false bottom, that isa perforated plate, is disposed in the vessel near its bottom above thepoint, where the cold water enters the vessel, so as to prevent theformation of whirls, in other words to prevent an excessive circulationof the water in the vessel. The electric heater is moreover soconstructed or arranged as to produce but a feeble or moderatecirculation of the Then in contradiction to ordinary heating apparatusthe water will be heated in the upper part of the vessel and willmaintain its maximum temperature, while in the lower part of the vesselthe water may be still cold. Only in proportion as Vthe heating of thewater goes on an increasing quantity of the water will vbe brought tothe maximum temperature, so that the hot water may eventually extendVdownward to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led January 4, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

serial No. 669,469.

the bottom. When hot water is discharged from the top of the vessel forthe consumption, cold water will enter the vessel and replace the hotwater. In this manner a constant supply of hot water can be obtainedfrom the new electric heat accumulator, no matter whether theconsumption be large or small. The water heated in the new electric heataccumulator can be utilized in plants of various descriptions forheating by means of hot or warm water tubes both for domestic use andfor industrial purposes. In this manner the new electric heataccumulator is adapted to turn the electrical energy into heat duringthe time in which little or nothing of the said energy is consumed, sothat no waste of the power at disposal is produced.

I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection through an electric heat accumulator on the line AFB in Fig. 2,Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the same on the line C-D in Fig.1, Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through a modified form ofthe electric heat accumulator on the line E-F in Fig. 4, and Fig. l1 isa. horizontal section through the same on the line G-H in Fig. 3.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

'Ihe electric heat accumulator illustrated at Figs. 1 and 2 essentiallyconsists of a closed cylindrical vessel 1 with detachable cover 2 andtwo electric heaters 3, 3 of any approved construction. The heaters 3, 3are shown to be suspended from the cover 2 by means of suitableconnections 4, 4 and to have each a cover 5, to which inner parts (notshown) may be attached, so that by removing the cover 2 also theelectric heater can be withdrawn. The cover 5 of each heater 3 can beconnected with the cover 2 of the vessel by means of a detachable benttube 6 and the two heater covers 5, 5 may be connected together by meansof a bent tube 7, so that conductors 8 and 9` for supplying and leadingoif the electric current can pass through the said tubes to the innerparts. Cold water can enter the vessel 1 near its bottom 10 through atube 11, as is indicated by an arrow, while hot water can escape fromthe vessel 1 through a tube 12 secured on the cover 2. A false bottom13, that is a perforated plate, is disposed within lthe vessel above theinlet tube 11 on a suitable supporting ring 1l. 'The vessel 1 ispreferably surrounded with a mantle of a bad heat conducting material.In Figs. 1 and 2 this mantle is shown to consist of the walls 15 of someroom, into one corner of which the vessel 1 is placed, further twovertical platesV 16, 17 connected together at right angles to oneanother and secured to the walls 15, and a removable cover 18. The spacebetween the vessel 1, the walls 15 and the plates 16, 17 is filled upwith a bad heat conducting material 19 of any known kind. The cover 18may be provided with a filling 2O of a similar bad heat conductingmaterial. The vessel 1 is lilled up with water. The false bottom 13serves for preventing the entering water from formi-ng whirls above thisplate, so that the ywater in t-he vessel is maintained as silent aspossible. For the same reason the electric heaters 3, 3 are soconstructed as to produce but a feeble circulation of the water, sincethey are flat and cause the water to flow upward through a shortdistancealong their walls. The heaters 3, 3 are for example shown to have eachthree parallel vertical narrow passages 21 for the water.

It will be now evident, that by starting the electric heaters 3, 3 onlythe water in the upper part of the vessel 1 will be heated, so that verysoon after the start hot water can be discharged upward through the tube12 by opening some valve (not shown). The water in t-he lower part ofthe vessel 1 may remain cool or cold, it moving upward and being'gradually heated, and the hot water discharged above is constantlyreplaced by cold water entering the vessel 1 below through the tube 11.llVhen the water is not discharged through the tube 12, of course anincreasing quantity of water will be heated to the maximum temperatureby the heaters 3, 3 in proportion to the time and energy spent, so thatthe hot water may eventually extend downward to the bottom 10. In anycase, when hot water escapes from the vessel 1 and cold water enters thevessel, the division between the hot and cold water will be maintainedfor a long time for want of considerable circulation.

t is an advantage of this electric heat accumulator, that the heating ofthe water is effected in the upper part of the vessel, as thereby t-henecessity of first gradually heating the whole contents of the vessel 1is saved.

Figs 3 and 4 show a modified form of the electric heat accumulator. Thecylindrical vessel 22 is surrounded with a concentric protecting vessel23 and an annular filling 24 between them of -a bad heat conductingmaterial. An electric heater 25 of any other approved construction isshown to be suspended from the cover 26 by means of -a tube 27 throughwhich pass two electric Conductors 28, 29. Two parallel cross bars 30,30 fastened on the inside of the vessel 22 serve for supporting arectangular tube 31 of metallic or heat insulating material, which tubeis shown to surround the heater 25 and to extend downward to a pointabove the false bottom 32. The cold water is supplied to the vessel 22through a tube 33 Tbelow the false bottom 32 as before, while the hotwater is discharged from the vessel 22 close to its cover 26 thro-ughthe upper end of a bent tube 3l, the other end of which is kept at alittle less than half the height of the vessel 22, so as to maintain theheat produced as much as possible in the vessel and to prevent vit fromescaping when not required. The top of the vessel 22, that is the cover26, and the top of the outer vessel 23 and filling 2l is covered with acover 35 and a filling 36 of a bad heat conducting material. A tube 37for the conductor 28, 29 is shown to be embedded in the tillin g 36.This electric heat accumulator differs froln the preceding one in thatthe tube 31 produces a stronger circulationl of the w-ater, which may bepreferable in certain cases according to the circumstances. By selectinga height for the tube 31 the circulation of the water may bepredetermined, and by varying the position of the electric heater 25 inthe tube 31 also the circulation of the water may be adjusted. Obviouslythis accumulator can be charged with heat by passing the current throughthe electric heater 25 during the standstill of the respective plant, sothat no waste of the power at disposal is permitted to take place ashitherto. During the charging of the accumulator the water brought up tothe maximum temperature leaves the upper end of the tube 31 and reposeson the upper layer of warm water, if any is already there, in which casethe warm water will be uniformly forced downward in the space betweenthe tube 31 and the inside of the vessel 22. In consequence of this nota large quantity .of water having but one fourth or one half of thedesired highest temperature will be at disposal, but -a quantity of hotwater 'in proportion to the time and energy spent, while the rest of thewater may be still cold or cool.

The shape and construction of the electric heater 3 or `25 is immaterialto my invention. rlhe heater may be round instead of rect-angular orhave any other shape. The essential point is in all c-ases, that bymeans' of the electric heater the water be heated from -above downward.

In order to prevent the heat of the water produced from exceedingdetermined limit, lwhereby otherwise a waste of energy might beproduced, some known and approved device should be employed forautomatieally opening the current at the moment that the maximumtemperature is attained.

The electric heat accumulator may be connected with a plant of any kindfor giving hot or warm-water, in which case the accumulator is simplyinserted in the delivery tube. Then during the consumption of the hotwater invariably a like quantity of cold water will enter theaccumulator at the bottom. The electric heat accumulator may serve forheating the air in some building by means of a central heating plant, inwhich case the water serves not only for storing up the heat, but alsofor conveying the heat from the accumulator to the radiators bycirculating between them.

The electric heat accumulator can be varied in many respects withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

Claims:

l. In an electric heat accumulator of the class described, thecombination with a closed vessel adapted to be filled with water, of anelectric heater with vertical perforations located in said closed vesselnear the top and adapted to heat the water downward in proportion to theenergy spent, means for providing said electric heater with current, aninlet tube for introducing cold water into the lower end of said vessel,an outlet tube for discharging hot water from the upper end of saidvessel, a perforated plate in said vessel above said inlet tube forspreading the entering water and making the flow through the vessel moreuniform, and a bad heat conductor inclosing said vessel.

2. In an electric heat accumulator of the class described, thecombination with a vessel adapted to be filled with water, of a coverfor closing the top of said vessel, an electric heater with verticalperforations located in said vessel near said cover and adapted to heatthe water downward in proportion to the energy spent, tubes connectingsaid electric heater with said cover, electric conductors passing fromwithout through said tubes and adapted to supply said electric heaterwith current, an inlet tube for introducing cold water into the lowerend of said vessel, an outlet tube for discharging hot water from theupper end of said vessel, a perforated plate in said vessel above saidinlet tube for spreading the entering water and making the flow throughthe vessel more uniform, and a bad heat conductor inclosing said vesseland said cover.

ADOLPH RITTERSHAUSSEN.

Witnesses:

ERNST MEER, JOHANN KERKMANN.

Copies of this natent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

